Tensions have escalated between Afghanistan and Pakistan after the Taliban administration claimed it carried out strikes on Pakistani military facilities following air attacks by Islamabad inside Afghan territory. The development has raised concerns of a new regional flashpoint emerging while conflict already continues across West Asia.
Officials from the Taliban government said Afghan forces targeted Pakistani military installations in the Kohat area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to Taliban statements, the operation was conducted in retaliation for overnight airstrikes carried out by Pakistan inside Afghanistan. Authorities in Kabul claimed the strikes caused “significant human and material losses” to Pakistani military facilities.
The Taliban government said the operation targeted strategic sites, including a military fort in Kohat, a command centre located near the Durand Line, and offices belonging to Pakistani military commanders. Officials alleged that military depots, installations and soldiers’ residential quarters were damaged during the strikes.
Taliban Deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said on social media that the attack was carried out as a direct response to Pakistani “incursions” into Afghan territory. A short video released alongside the statement showed what appeared to be a drone flying overhead during the operation.
The retaliatory action followed Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Thursday. According to Taliban authorities and reports by Agence France-Presse, Pakistani aircraft struck multiple locations including Kabul, Kandahar, and provinces such as Paktia and Paktika. Taliban officials said the attacks hit civilian infrastructure and residential areas.
The Taliban administration reported civilian casualties from the strikes and shelling near the border. According to Fitrat, four members of the same family — a man, a woman and two children — were killed in the village of Sadqo in Khost Province, while three other children were injured.
Earlier, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of bombing a fuel depot belonging to Kam Air near Kandahar airport. He said the depot supplied fuel to civilian airlines and aircraft operated by the United Nations.
Taliban officials described the Pakistani airstrikes as “cruel aggression” and warned that such actions would not go unanswered. According to Taliban claims, at least seven civilians have been killed in Afghanistan since Tuesday due to cross-border clashes.
The underlying dispute between the two countries centres on militant activity in the region. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban government of harbouring militants linked to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, who Islamabad says conduct attacks inside Pakistani territory.
The Taliban leadership denies these allegations and argues that militant violence inside Pakistan is an internal security issue that Islamabad must address itself.
The long-running tensions are further complicated by the disputed status of the Durand Line, the roughly 2,600-kilometre frontier drawn during the colonial era. While Pakistan recognises the border as an official international boundary, the Taliban government does not formally accept it.
The latest escalation follows earlier clashes in early March, when Pakistani forces launched airstrikes on locations in Afghanistan that they described as “terrorist hotspots” in provinces including Nangarhar, Kunar, Khost, Paktia and Paktika. Afghan authorities responded with drone strikes and artillery fire along the border.
Before the most recent exchange of attacks, both sides had been engaged in talks aimed at reducing tensions. Negotiations were reportedly being mediated by Türkiye, Russia and China.
Despite those diplomatic efforts, the cycle of accusations, cross-border strikes and retaliatory attacks has continued. The renewed hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan are raising concerns among analysts that another conflict zone could emerge in the region, particularly at a time when the broader Middle East is already experiencing heightened military tensions.
